In a turret type of labeling machine such as that described in U.S. Pat. 4,108,709 and incorporated herein by reference, containers are supplied continuously to a rotating turret; each container, in turn, is clamped between an upper chuck and a lower chuck carried by the turret; the container, so clamped, is rotated orbitally about the central shaft of the turret to a label pick up station where it contacts the leading edge of a label carried by a label transport such as a rotating vacuum drum; the label is released from the vacuum drum and is wrapped around a container as the container is caused to spin about its axis; and with a label wrapped around, it is transported by the turret to a container release station where the labeled container is released from the turret. In this operation, it is necessary to rotate each container clamped between a pair of chucks orbitally about the axis of the turret and it is necessary to spin the container about its own axis to wrap a label about it. Other labeling machines are known, such as for example, that described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,242,167 entitled xe2x80x9cLabeling Machinexe2x80x9d which is hereby incorporated by reference.
In the aforesaid U.S. Pat. No. 4,108,709 the spinning of the container is achieved by, for example, a wheel fixed to and coaxial with the upper member of a pair of chucks and a pad which is concentric to the turret axis. The contact between this wheel and pad causes the respective chuck, and with it the container, to spin.
This means of spinning the containers is quite effective but is limited in many ways. For example, the container can spin in only one direction and its speed is fixed by the speed of the turret and by the radius of the wheel and the pad. Also, this method of spinning the container to wrap the label may be ineffective for containers having generally noncircular cross sections.
The invention also relates to the application of stretch labels to containers and other articles. It is common practice to apply labels to containers and other articles by supplying a continuous length of label material from a roll, cutting it into suitable lengths which are transferred to a rotating vacuum drum which picks up each label in turn on its cylindrical surface by means of vacuum and transports each label to a label applying station where it Is wrapped around a container. For the purpose of adhering the label to the container, glue is applied to the container and/or to the label, usually the latter, at its leading end and at its trailing end. An adhesive may be formed in situ by the use of a solvent. Also heat sealing of the overlap between the trailing end of the label of the leading end of the label may be employed.
Hereinbelow for convenience the term xe2x80x9clabelxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9clabelsxe2x80x9d and the term xe2x80x9ccontainerxe2x80x9d will be used, but it is to be understood that other segments of sheet material may be applied, e.g., for decorative purposes, identification bands, tamper evident strips, etc. and that other articles than containers may have labels or other segments of sheet material applied to them.
Such label application to containers may be carried out with a stack of precut labels rather than severing labels from a continuous length of label material.
Representative patents relating to such label application are U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,108,709; 4,108,710; 4,500,386; 5,091,040; 5,137,596 and 5,269,864. Such label application may also be carried out and is often carried out with a heat shrinkable label material which, after application to the container, is subjected to heat to cause it to shrink, e.g., into a recessed area of a container or onto contoured portions such as the neck or shoulder of a container. For example in U.S. Pat. No. 4,704,173 such heat shrink labeling is illustrated by application of a label to a container having a cylindrical body above and below which are portions of the container which are of lesser diameter. The heat shrinking shrinks the label onto such areas of lesser diameter.
An alternative to such heat shrinking/contour labeling is the application of stretchable labels, which are stretched before application and which, after application, contract and closely adhere to the recessed and/or contoured portions of the container. An example of such stretch labeling and the method and machinery for accomplishing it is provided by Automatic Label Systems of Twinsburg, Ohio, who supply what are called xe2x80x9cAuto-Sleeve(copyright) stretch sleeve labels.xe2x80x9d The Auto-Sleeve(copyright) labels are first formed into sleeves. The sleeves have a diameter less than the maximum diameter of the container to which they are to be fitted and the sleeve is stretch fitted over the container and when so applied it contracts and relaxes to fit the container tightly. This method avoids the need to use glue, heat or solvent to adhere the label to containers and it avoids the need to heat the label on containers to shrink the label material onto the container.
However that method requires first forming the stretch label material into a sleeve, then fitting the sleeve over the container. Other than in sleeve technology, the stretching of labels has heretofore been avoided or minimized.
Providing braille characters, icons, or other tactilely sensible indicia on containers allows visually impaired persons to ascertain the contents of packages or containers. Conventional containers have been developed which have a braille or indicia molded therein as part of the container manufacturing process. In addition, the indicia may be directly stamped on the container.
Applying braille markings at the time of printing presents problems due to the difficulties that would be encountered at the point of application. Cut and stacked labels having braille or indicia have a tendency toto nest and thus stick together as each label is pulled out consecutively one at a time during application of the labels to the container or article. In the case of a continuous roll having braille or other indicia, the roll itself would be lopsided due to the indicia. Such a roll would then encounter difficulties during such process as precision winding and/or unwinding. The problem may be particularly acute when the indicia are formed on stretchable label material.
Accordingly, there is a need to provide a method and apparatus for applying tactilely recognizable indicia to containers at production speeds which overcome the deficiencies of prior known methods and apparatus for applying such indicia to containers or articles.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a more versatile means of operating such a turret type of labeling machine.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a method and apparatus for applying braille indicia to labels at productions speeds.
It is a further object to provide a method and apparatus wherein a continuous roll of label material is marked with TACTILELY sensible indicia with labels being cut from the roll and applied to the containers.
It is yet another object to use an adhesive applying apparatus to apply glue droplets in a controlled and predetermined pattern on the surface or reverse side of a label to produce tactilely sensible indicia.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a method and machinery which will apply stretch labels in sheet form, as for example in U.S. Pat. No. 4,500,386 or U.S. Pat. 4,108,709, and to apply the labels in stretched condition without the need to preform a sleeve.
It is yet a further object of the invention to provide computer control and synchronization of the label handling apparatus to achieve the afore described labeling objectives.
The difficulties and limitations mentioned above are greatly diminished by providing a computer controlled turret type labeling apparatus for controlling the label applying mechanism when applying labels to containers. The computer controlled turret type labeling apparatus has a motor driven turret within a container handling station and one or more sensors that provide information about the operational status of the turret. Each container handling station has a motor for driving the container handling station and one or more sensors that provide operational status information about the container handling station. A label applying mechanism such as a motor driven vacuum drum may also be provided having sensors to provide operational status information. A computer is coupled to the motors and sensors for processing the status information received and for generating control signals in response to the received signals to drive the motors and to effect correct labeling of containers. The sensors typically provide speed, direction and position information. The computer is programmed to process the status information in conjunction with prestored information, including information relating to the characteristics of the labeling apparatus, the size and shape of the containers, and the desired container labeling characteristics.
In another aspect of the invention, an apparatus and method are provided for identification by visually impaired persons. The method comprises providing a sheet or web of material, preferably, having printed matter on one side for use as a label. A tactilely distinguishable mark is then provided on a portion of the sheet or web for identifying packages to the visually impaired by touch. The sheet of material is applied to the article such as a container for example or becomes part of the article. The step of providing the tactilely distinguishable mark may include applying a glue pattern to the sheet. The glue pattern may be applied either on the side of the label containing the printed matter, or else, on the opposite side adjacent the article producing bumps or ridges on the label, which is preferably formed of a lightweight film or paper. Alternatively, the sheet of material may be stamped, embossed to produce ridges, or punched to produce depressions. Further, it is possible to directly apply the glue pattern to the product without utilizing a separate label material. By applying the computer control methods and apparatus to the container and label handling apparatus and to apparatus for applying the glue to a label or directly to the container greater precision is obtained in applying the mark and in locating the mark on the container, a particular advantage when applying braille indicia to sight impaired individuals who otherwise may have difficulty locating the braille indicia.
In another aspect of the invention, method and apparatus for applying stretch label material are provided. Stretch label material, e.g., stretchable polyethylene is supplied continuously to a cutting instrumentality such as that shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,181,555 and each label, after it passes through the cutter and before it is cut into an individual label is supplied to a rotating vacuum drum and its leading end is placed on the rotating vacuum drum, which grips the label by vacuum. Alternatively, but less desirably, precut labels are fed from a stack of the same to a vacuum drum, as for example in U.S. Pat. No. 4,978,416, likewise being gripped by the vacuum of the vacuum drum. In either case the peripheral speed of the drum is controlled, such as by using computer control techniques as described, so that the peripheral speed of the drum exceeds the linear speed of the label web or sheet arriving at the drum prior to application to the container. In the absence of a sufficiently high vacuum this would lead to slippage of the label on the vacuum drum. However, by using a sufficiently high vacuum this slippage is avoided. Hence the label is held firmly on the drum by vacuum and by reason of the fact that the peripheral speed of the drum is controlled to be greater than that of the label feed through the cutting instrumentality, the label is stretched. Alternatively the leading end of the label may be clamped onto the vacuum drum, e.g., as described in Eder U.S. Pat. No. 5,116,452. The combined use of a clamp and a vacuum strong enough to hold the label against slippage may also be employed.
The label thus held in stretched condition on the drum is then contacted, e.g., at the leading end and at the trailing end by a glue applicator which applies glue to the leading end and to the trailing end so that when the label is wrapped around the container it is adhered thereto. Also the use of a solvent applied to the label and absorbed by the label to form an adhesive in situ may be employed. Alternatively also heat sealing of the ends of the label together may be accomplished as for example in U.S. Pat. No. 5,137,596.
The problem of relaxation of the label from its stretched condition when it is released from the vacuum drum may be dealt with as follows. The adhesive applied to the leading end of the label to adhere it to the container may be an adhesive which bonds very quickly and strongly to the label and to the container, such that it prevents or minimizes relaxation of the label as it leaves the vacuum drum and bonds to the container. Examples of such adhesives are provided below. Alternatively, or in conjunction with the use of such an adhesive, the adhesive may be applied as a series of dots spaced lengthwise along the label or around the periphery of a container. Thus the first dot or array of dots of adhesive near the leading end of the label will be followed by a dot or array of dots spaced a short distance from the first dot or array, etc. Therefore the label will be held firmly on the container as each segment comes off of the vacuum drum and it is prevented from relaxing or the relaxation of the label is not significant.
Adhesive may be applied to the container rather than the label or it may be applied to both the container and the label. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,834,963 adhesive application to the container is shown. The adhesive application to the container may be (as in U.S. Pat. No. 3,834,963) applied to both the container and the label, and the pattern of adhesive applied to the container may vary. For example, a line of adhesive may be applied to the container for adhesion to the leading end of the label, or it may be applied both to the leading end and to the trailing end of the label, or it may be applied to the entire circumference of the container as a succession of dots.
Hereinabove xe2x80x9cdotsxe2x80x9d of adhesive have been referred to and as stated in connection with application to the label, adhesive may be applied as bands or strips to the container and/or to the label.
The labeled container is then removed from the label applying equipment. That portion or those portions of the stretched label overlying a recessed surface or surfaces of the container will shrink onto the recessed portion or portions.
If there is a recessed area on the container which is of a magnitude such that the relaxation of the label will not suffice, e.g., in the case of a deep groove in a container intended as a fingerhold, a heat shrinkable label may be employed assisted if need be by perforations overlying such deeply recessed area or areas to release air trapped between the label and the container. Heat is applied to shrink the label onto or into such deeply recessed area or areas.
Instead of employing a greater peripheral speed of the vacuum drum to stretch the label, the container may be controlled in a manner that causes it to spin at a peripheral speed which is greater than that of the vacuum drum, thereby stretching the label. The peripheral speed of the container is the composite of the speed at which it is caused to spin, its diameter and the speed at which it travels after first making contact with the label. The difference in speed of the label while on the drum and this composite speed can be governed quite precisely by gears or by computer controlled motors as described in greater detail below. To prevent the label from slipping on the container due to its greater peripheral speed, an adhesive which bonds strongly and quickly may be used. Alternatively (and/or in addition to such procedure), adhesive may be applied as a succession of dots so that the label is adhered to the container, not at one point but at several points.
The label may also be stretched by both procedures, that is by operating the vacuum drum at a peripheral speed greater than the label feed and by also causing the container to spin at a composite speed greater than the peripheral speed of the vacuum drum.
Stretch labels having conventionally printed indicia, as well as braille indicia for sight impaired individuals may be employed.